Timeless Treasures Elvis Presley in Eagle Jumpsuit Review

I think I’m reviewing a Barbie doll? What has become of my dignity? Have I no shame?

No, this is not a Barbie doll. Even if it’s from Mattel and may or may not be part of the “Barbie Loves Elvis” collection. This Timeless Treasures figure from 2001 is not Ken dressed as Elvis, it’s the real deal King baby!

When it comes to cool, there are few as hip as the legendary performer. Although Elvis has been a merchandise machine since his debut in the 1950’s, the selection of toys has not always been that great. Mattel and Hasbro both released figures of the King, with varying results.

This is one of the only figures available in his iconic eagle jumpsuit and it’s one of the only figures depicting Elvis in this era. I bought this guy for a custom, so I figured I’d share the review with you. Is he a hunka hunka burning love or if you purchase this guy will he send you straight to heartbreak hotel? Read on to find out!Packaging:The packaging is a very solid window box made of a semi-hard plastic. It’s pliable, but at the same time will protect your Elvis doll action figure. I suspect a lot of people will leave Mr. Presley in his package and that’s probably the best way to display him. Mattel clearly had that in mind when creating this box, as it’s designer friendly.

It looks like a nice piece, even if it’s only plastic. The gold embossing on the front and the Elvis nameplate help to make this look like something that could sit on any respectable Elvis collector’s shelf. Or perhaps more likely, in some old lady’s cabinet full of tchotchkes.

The back gives a nice little rundown of Elvis’s Aloha From Hawaii special and how he had this suit specifically commissioned for the concert by Bill Belew. Mattel claims this is an “exact” replica of it, but that’s being a bit generous. The concert was a huge cultural event in the 1970’s, being watched by hundreds of millions of people across the world.

Inside Elvis is strapped down with a variety of rubber coated twist ties to keep him safe. I can assure you that these work as the person who shipped this to me sent it in a box that you could fit a Buick in, with no padding, and yet Elvis was safe and secure inside the package. For once I thank the twist ties! I was also pleased that they all could be untied rather easily and I didn’t have to get out the jaws of life.

Sculpt/Paint:With a 1/6 figure, there generally isn’t a ton of sculpting and paint work to examine. They typically have a head sculpt and a reusable base body to work off of and then an outfit. This is especially true for a “Barbie doll” type of figure.

The likeness here is actually pretty good, when you consider the source. All of the “Barbie” Elvis figures have certain traits that definitely make them look like Presley. This is true for this figure as well, but of course, he also has some serious doll-like attributes going on in the head sculpt as well.

Essentially, this probably shouldn’t be the first figure you pull out if you’re wanting your friends to think collecting toys is a cool and manly hobby. But if you can get past that, you can admire some of the quality that is in this sculpt. The poofy hair and side burns look quite good and from certain angles this is unmistakeably the King.

Scale wise, this guy is a giant. I’m told that all Ken dolls are exceptionally tall, putting them around 13 inches in height. I’m not sure if this is to be taller than Barbie or if Barbies are this big too. Believe it or not, this is the first “Barbie” I’ve ever bought for myself. Hard to swallow, I know.

Outfit/Clothing:What makes or breaks a lot of 1/6 figures and definitely a main criteria in the doll world is the outfit. Elvis Presley’s eagle jumpsuit is the main draw to this figure. There are some good and bad things going on with this outfit in general.

For starters the overall quality is very good. Although you’d never confuse this with high quality clothing from say Hot Toys or something, it’s not like cheap Barbie outfits that you see at the Dollar General, either. The attention to detail is quite good and the gold vac-metal eagle on the belt help make it seem nice.

Of course it’s also horribly inaccurate in general. His belt for example, had a half dozen or more of those eagles on them, as well as chains and other accoutrements. It’s a decent facsimile of something Elvis wore and nobody is going to mistake this outfit for anything other than what it’s intended to be, but it’s certainly not something that has been painstakingly recreated at the 1/6 scale.

The boots are interesting as they unsnap like a toy suitcase or something. I have no idea if a lot of Barbie boots are like this or if these are reused from some Cowboy Ken or a unique item to Elvis.

Unfortunately removing the outfit is impossible without undoing the seams. I found the seams in the back rather easy to pop, but it’s a bit disappointing if you’re buying this figure just for the clothes. It’s also hemmed in a way that’s very narrow in the waist and thus far my attempts to put an Adventure Team GI Joe in an Elvis outfit have been unsuccessful.

Articulation:Barbie dolls are weird I’ve learned through the years. Sometimes they have a metric ton of articulation. Sometimes they look like they have no articulation and it’s hidden under rubber joints. Other times they literally have like 4 points or articulation. I don’t get it. There appears to be no standard model of Barbie/Ken articulation or no rhyme or reason why who gets what.

Elvis makes out alright though with a cut neck, swivel-hinge shoulders, swivel ball type elbows, semi-ball waist, band ball legs and knee hinges. It’s not the greatest articulation and it’s a bit loose and is made with a strange elastic band construction for the bottom half, sort of akin to a Mego. However, if I was using this figure just for itself, I’d only really want some sort of wrist articulation, so it’s not the worst.

I did find some restriction in the movement and I don’t know if that was the strange way that the elbow joints work, if he’s too loosely strung or if the outfit is just too tight on him and thus restricts his posing. The doll body is marked 1999, so this obviously came from a previous Ken figure.

Accessories:Elvis comes with just a couple things to hold you over…

First is a pretty generic microphone with a vac-metal top. Elvis comes with this rubber banded to his hand and if you want him to hold it, you’d better keep that band. It’s IMPOSSIBLE for Elvis to hold this with his hand. He needs Kung-Fu Grip!

You also get a nice little certificate of authenticity which probably means more to people who care about that sort of stuff than I do and a pretty basic doll stand. Neither are impressive, but I guess it’s better than a chop to the neck.

Value:This is far and away the most popular Elvis Presley figure from Mattel. I’m guessing it’s because of the outfit, which is recreated rather well despite it’s shortcomings. Originally this guy retailed for around $40 in 2001 but I was lucky enough to score him for less than that. I’ve also seen it go for over $50, so it’s a crap shoot on price.

I’m sure there are a few of these Elvises (Elvi?) to be had for cheap at yard sales and the like, but in general, since it’s Elvis, it’ll retain it’s value. I’m not quite sure I’m going to be able to use it for what I wanted, so it may end up being a waste in general for me.

Surprisingly this isn’t a horrible figure for the reasons you might think it would be. However for traditional action figure enthusiasts, this probably won’t be your cup of tea. Granted it wasn’t designed with those sort of folks in mind. For what it is, Elvis in the eagle jumpsuit ain’t bad.